2025 Children’s Choice Award Winners 

Libraries and schools partner to celebrate and promote reading 

The Children’s Choice Awards (CCA) hosted annually by the Allegheny County Library Association (ACLA) and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) celebrates reading and encourages school and public library collaboration. This year’s culminating event was hosted again at Commonwealth Charter Academy in Homestead. 

The keynote author was Matthew Holm, author and illustrator of the Babymouse series, Sunny Side Up, and Squish, among other titles. Many of the titles are co-authored with his sister, Jennifer Holm. He also did Q & A sessions with the students, receiving questions about creating a graphic novel. 

In addition, musicians Josh & Gab returned to offer a crowd-pleasing musical performance. The event also included the ever-popular Battle of the Books. Spark Books was also on hand to provide books for students to purchase and Holm to sign. 

The committee, which is made up of a representative from ACLA, AIU, Spark Books, Bethel Park Public Library and Northland Public Library, with the input of school and public librarians chose the following eight titles: 

  • Ferris, Kate DiCamillo 
  • Force of Nature, Ann E. Burg 
  • Max in the House of Spies, Adam Gidwitz 
  • Slugfest, Gordon Korman 
  • The Night Librarian, Christopher Lincoln 
  • The Secret Language of Birds, Lynne Kelly 
  • Trouble at the Tangerine, Gillian McDunn 
  • Wicked Marigold, Caroline Carlson 

Students in grades 3-6 are encouraged to read three of the titles to attend the culminating event. Some read on their own, others participate in a library program, and many attend a school that includes the program as part of the curriculum. Throughout the months of March and April, students voted online for their favorite book. This year’s CCA winning title is Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz. 

More than 400 students from across the county and region attended this year’s Children’s Choice Awards. There were participants from one charter school and five school districts from outside of Allegheny County, as well as 14 school districts in Allegheny County, including those listed here with their public library: 

  • Baldwin-Whitehall School District (Baldwin Borough Public Library and Whitehall Public Library) 
  • Brentwood School District (Brentwood Library) 
  • Carlynton School District (Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Crafton Public Library) 
  • Fox Chapel School District (Cooper-Siegel Community Library) 
  • Gateway School District (Monroeville Public Library) 
  • Hampton School District (Hampton Community Library) 
  • Highlands School District (Community Library of Allegheny Valley) 
  • Montour School District (Robinson Township Library) 
  • Moon Area School District (Moon Township Public Library) 
  • Northgate School District (Andrew Bayne Memorial Library and Avalon Public Library) 
  • Penn Hills School District (Penn Hills Library) 
  • Riverview School District (Oakmont Carnegie Library) 
  • South Fayette School District (South Fayette Township Library) 
  • West Jefferson Hills School District (Jefferson Hills Public Library and Pleasant Hills Public Library) 

Picture Book Children’s Choice Awards

In addition to the CCA, ACLA also hosts the Picture Book Children’s Choice Awards (PBCCA) for students in grades K-2. This program provides libraries with an opportunity for outreach to elementary schools. As with the CCA, the students vote on their favorite title and this year’s title was 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Dragon by David LaRochelle.

This year, ACLA created two new outreach programs – Preschool Picks and PBCCA Nonfiction Extension Program. Preschool Picks is geared towards children in preschool or ages 3-5 and the goal is to provide libraries with books and supporting materials to start or continue a preschool outreach program. PBCCA Nonfiction Extension Program is geared towards students in second and third grades but is scalable for younger and older children in a library setting. The basic concept is to introduce and engage students with recently published nonfiction or STEM-related titles through elementary school partnerships and special library programming, as well as collaborate with community partners.

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries also provides materials for the Pennsylvania One Book Initiative, which is geared towards preschool students. This year’s book is Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortense. The Pennsylvania One Book initiative highlights the importance of early literacy development in young children and the significance of reading early and often to children, as well as engaging them in conversation and other activities around books.  

You can check out the nominated books for these programs at your local library. Visit librarycatalog.einetwork.net to place a hold today!